Secret Love
by stayregal
Summary: A newly graduated Emma Swan lands herself a job working for Regina Mills. Soon their feelings become something more but they struggle with keeping it a secret from the rest of the office. Slow burn SQ rated M for language and sexy time in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Stop worrying, you're going to do great, babe!" Emma's tall, thin, brunette roommate exclaimed. The two stood in Emma's bedroom as the blonde gazed at herself in the mirror, just having changed her outfit for the umpteenth time.

"How about this one, Rubes?" She turned to face Ruby and smiled a nervous smile. Emma was fresh out of college and this was the third interview she has landed since, but the others wanted someone with experience. How was she supposed to gain experience if no one would give her a chance?!

"Totally fuckable!" Ruby smiled, baring white teeth.

"Not exactly what I was going for." Emma turned to face the mirror again and fiddled with the clothing before sighing and glancing at the clock on her bedside table. "Oh shit, I have to go!" Emma hurried past Ruby and into their spacious kitchen. The two shared a very roomy 14th floor apartment in a luxurious Boston apartment building. Truth was, if it weren't for Ruby, Emma didn't know where she would be. On the streets, no doubt. She dormed throughout her college years but once school was over she was left with no where to go. Thankfully, her long-time best friend was willing to take her in. She didn't the kind of money that could afford a place like the one they live in now. Emma had worked crappy side jobs throughout college, just barely scraping by. But Ruby didn't mind. She does well for herself and could afford the place on her own if she really wanted to. Emma wasn't entirely sure what exactly Ruby did for a living, but she doesn't ask questions either. Ruby lets the blonde pay whatever she can each month towards rent and the bills and that's good enough for the both of them.

"I'll see you tonight!" Emma called from the kitchen, grabbing her coat and keys before flying out the door.

—

"Hi, I'm here for an interview." Emma explained to the woman sitting at the front desk in the lobby of Empire Photo Magazine.

"Name?" The red haired woman barked, barely looking up from her computer screen.

"Emma Swan." The blonde replied. This woman was doing nothing to settle Emma's nervous. She was sure she could puke right there on the spot with how upset her stomach was.

"Take a seat, I'll call you when they are ready for you."

"Thanks." Emma turned, taking in the building around her. It was huge! Everything from the light fixtures down to the furniture itself looked insanely expensive. Glancing up, she noticed just how high the ceilings were. "Wow" she breathed to herself, watching as people bustled by, no doubt starting their work day, coffee and briefcase in hand.

"Yes, I have a one Emma Swan here for an interview." Emma heard the red haired woman at the front desk say into a phone. She took a seat and pulled her briefcase onto her lap. It was mostly just for show as she had only a couple of spare resumes and her portfolio in it.

"Ok." The woman said into the phone and set it down on it's holder. "Miss Swan? They will see you now. Take the elevator on the left to floor 6." Emma stood and hurried past with a quick thanks.

She walked into the elaborate elevator and pressed the button for floor 6. As soon as the doors closed she let out a long shaky breath and closed her eyes.

"You got this, Swan. Your work is brilliant. You know that. Just wow them." She said to herself. The elevator made a ding and she opened her eyes and stepped out into the office space.

"Hi, I'm here for an interview. Emma Swan." Emma smiled at the secretary. She was a young woman, around Emma's age with long wavy brown hair and kind eyes.

"Great, let me just let Ms. Mills know you're here." The woman said in a thick accent. Was that Australian? Emma fiddled with her clothing again, trying to make sure the skirt and blouse lay neatly over her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the secretary coming back. "She's ready for you." The woman smiled and led the way to the other side of the office where there was a spacious corner office with all of the blinds drawn shut. "Right in there."

"Thank you!" Emma smiled before taking a deep breath and walking into the office.

—

"Hi, I'm Emma Swan." Emma stuck out her hand and woman who was interviewing her took it softly and gave a small shake.

"Regina Mills. Please, have a seat Miss Swan." The woman was almost Emma's height, but Emma could see that was due to the stiletto heels that she was wearing. They had to be at least 3 maybe 4 inches. How does she walk in those?! Regina was fit and beautiful, her slightly wavy dark hair falling just to her collar bones. And the way she dressed, damn Emma was almost drooling.

 _Focus Swan_ she reminded herself. Emma waited as the other woman merely stared at her. Should she start the conversation? _Why is she looking at me like that?_ Emma cleared her throat.

"Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I really think I could bring something of value to this company."

"Yes well, do you have your portfolio on you?" Regina finally spoke.

—

Regina hated interviews. They were boring and filled with people being entirely too fake just to land a job. It was a long and tedious process that the brunette just did not enjoy. Alas, it was in her job description so she needed to do it. But this girl, she was different. Regina could tell. She was a nervous wreck, her hands were skating visibly while trying to open her briefcase. Regina chuckled softly.

"Miss Swan, are you nervous?" She watched as green eyes flickered up to meet her chocolate brown ones. She heard the girl sigh.

"Listen, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm nervous as all hell. I'm fresh out of college in a field where everyone wants someone with experience. I think that's crap! I'm never going to gain real world experience if no one gives me a shot. I want my work to speak for itself because, well, this might sound conceded but I am damn good at what I do. I have an eye for things that others do not. I can take something mundane and make it look beautiful. I just need someone to take a chance on me. I'm worth it." She finished, handing her portfolio to Regina who rose from her seat and walked to the other side of the desk, leaning against it. There was definitely something about this girl that Regina liked. She has fire and passion.

"Please, don't be nervous dear. That was quite some speech."

"Sometimes I don't know when to shut up, did I mention that?" Emma said and they both laughed. Regina could feel her eyes piercing into her as she flicked through the blondes portfolio.

"This is impressive, Miss Swan."

"Thank you. I take great pride in what I do." Emma replied.

"Well it definitely shows." Regina handed the portfolio back to the blonde. "Your photos are amazing, there is no denying that. Now, that aside, tell me what sets _you_ apart from the other candidates." She watched thoughtfully as the blonde thought for a moment. Regina took in the appearance of the blonde. She was slim, and quite tall. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail that fit her very well. Regina felt a pull towards this girl that she couldn't explain, but she wanted to know more.

"I'm not going to give you some generic, excuse my french, bullshit answer about how I'm hard working and pay great attention to detail and whatever else that everyone always says on an interview. Those are qualities that I do in fact posses but you will see that full force when I'm working for you. I take chances and risks, I always have. I have a passion that burns inside of me and that is my driving force. I can be clumsy and loud sometimes, and as I said before, I ramble. A lot. But that's what makes me me. I am different than other candidates, but I want the chance to _show_ you how different I am. Anyone can sit here and tell you why you should hire them, and that you won't regret it. But Frankly, Ms. Mills, I want the chance to _show_ you." Emma finished.

Regina stared into the girl again. Yes, Emma Swan was definitely different. She was fiesty. She had the type of attitude that was perfect for their magazine. And there was no denying that her photo style was perfect as well.

"So tell me more about yourself then, Miss Swan." Regina didn't normally take this long in an interview, and she definitely never tried to learn more about the people she was interviewing. But she wanted to know more about the blonde. She wanted to know what made her who she is.

"Erm, well, I guess I don't know where to start. I was a foster kid. Never knew my real parents. I spent my childhood being shuffled from family to family. I never really had a proper place to call home. I ran away when I was 16. I lived out of my car for a while, driving from place to place. Sometimes staying at motels. It was definitely better than some of the homes I was placed in. Finally when I was 18 I decided enough was enough. I wanted better for myself. I got my GED and started college at University of Boston. I poured myself into everything I did. I made sure I succeeded because I've seen failure and it was not an option for me again. I think my past comes through in a lot of the work I do. It has shaped me. I learned from what I went through and I use it to my advantage. I guess that's my past, which might not be what exactly you were asking for. Erm, I like Mexican food a lot, my favorite color is blue, uhh I also paint. I'm ok at it…" She watched as Regina walked back to her seat behind her desk.

"Emma, I think you're perfect for this job and I would like to give it to you." Regina watched as green eyes widened with surprise.

"Just like that?! Like, the job is mine?!" A smile grew across the blonde's pale features. It was a beautiful smile filled with hope and happiness.

"Yes, just like that, dear." Regina chuckled.

"Wow! I mean, yes, thank you so much! You won't regret it." Emma stood, forgetting her case was still unlocked and her resumes flew to the floor. "Ah, crap." She bent down to retrieve the strewn papers.

"Well, you are clumsy then aren't you, Miss Swan?" Regina laughed a throaty laugh as Emma stood back up, still smiling.

"You have no idea!" Emma laughed, extending her hand in a farewell shake. "Thank you again Ms. Mills."

"Regina, dear. Call me Regina." The brunette took the blonde's hand and shook it again. Watching as she turned to leave. At the door, Emma looked back and waved and smiled before walking out of sight.

"What are you doing?" Regina said to herself, rubbing her temples. She wasn't supposed to be attracted to people she worked with.

—

"Hey, how did it go in there?" The brown haired secretary asked as Emma went to board the elevator to leave.

"I got the job!" Emma said happily. The secretary beamed back at her.

"That's great! I guess I should introduce myself, right? I'm Belle." She smiled.

"I'm Emma." She smiled back. Just then there was a ding indicating the elevator was ready for her. "Well, I'll see you soon!" Emma waved as the doors shut.

"You did it Swan! And for an amazing magazine, too!" She spoke happily to herself, proud that she had landed the job. _And it helps that your boss is smoking hot too!_ She mused.

—

Emma unlocked the apartment with some difficulty. Her hands were full with grocery bags. She wanted to celebrate with Ruby tonight so she went and picked up some things to make a nice dinner, and a bottle of champagne to help the celebration. No sooner did she place the bags on the kitchen counter, when her phone began ringing. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. She didn't recognize the number calling, but answered anyways.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Miss Swan? This is Regina Mills."

"Oh, hi Ms. Mills." Emma became instantly nervous again. Had the brunette changed her mind about hiring her after all?

"Call me Regina, dear. I realized after you had left that there were a couple of things I should have gone over with you. Job description, pay rate, starting date, things of that nature." She finished. Emma sighed in relief.

"Oh, I should have asked, I'm sorry." Emma began putting away her groceries and chilling the champagne. It was still too early to begin dinner and she didn't want to leave the food out to spoil.

"No, no, it's fine. Are you free around 1 tomorrow to discuss such things? That's normally my lunch hour but we could discuss it all over lunch at this diner I usually go to if that works for you?"

"Uh, yeah, 1 works fine for me!" Truthfully, she wasn't spending her days doing much lately. When she wasn't job hunting, she mostly cleaned and cooked for Ruby as a thank you for her hospitality and friendship.

"Great, I'll text you the name of the diner and the address. Also, this is my personal cell phone. Save the number for if you ever need to get ahold of me when I'm not in the office."

"Ok, thanks Regina."

"Good day, Miss Swan." And the line went dead. There was something about the way that the woman called her Miss Swan that was entirely sexy. What had she gotten herself into? Her phone vibrated with a text message. She quickly opened it to find an address. Emma saved the number as she was instructed and walked into the living room, flopping herself down onto the couch. Flicking on the television, her mind couldn't help but wander to the days events. She couldn't wait to tell Ruby all about it over dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma was never truly a morning person but she woke up early the next morning, even before Ruby was up. She couldn't sleep any longer no matter how hard she willed herself to. She was too happy, too excited, and ultimately too nervous to stay asleep. So she peeled herself out from underneath her warm, soft duvet cover. She padded quietly to the bathroom that she shares with her roommate and turned on the water to take a hot shower. The day's possible events conjure in her mind. She imagines how the day might go, especially her meeting that afternoon. And Regina. She thinks about the brunette and sighs. She can't help but feel something stir inside her when she thinks about the time that the two spent together in the interview. Emma felt some sort of force or pull towards the other woman. She couldn't help it.

Emma turned off the hot water and stepped out onto the rug. She pulled a fluffy towel out of the cupboard and began to towel off before walking back to her room and dressing for the day.

Emma had breakfast cooked and on the table by the time Ruby woke up. She smiled when she heard the brunette's footsteps making their way sleepily down the hallway.

"Mmm, something smells good!" Ruby's voice was still slightly groggy from sleep. "Coffee?" She asked. Emma took a large bite of her eggs and pointed to where the coffee pot sat on the kitchen counter, full of fresh steaming liquid. "Thanks, babe. Looks great!" Ruby said as she poured a mug full of the fragrant drink and walked over to sit down in front of the second plate.

"Ew, Rubes. I will never understand how you can drink that shit black like that. At least put some cream in it!" Emma said about the mug of coffee that Ruby was now picking up. She watched as the brunette took a large gulp.

"Ahhh." Ruby breathed in satisfaction. "Why would you want to ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee with cream?! It is perfect just the way it is." Both girls laughed.

The rest of breakfast was spent mostly in comfortable silence, and some small talk about both women's jobs and the meeting with Regina that Emma had coming up. Afterwards, Ruby got ready for work and left, running late as she always is. Emma laughed as she watched Ruby literally run out the door and down the hallway to the elevator. She silently vowed never to be late like that.

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning. She cleaned up breakfast, before focusing her efforts on the living room. She danced to the music she had playing loudly on the surround sound system. Pink Floyd blared through the speakers. Emma's favorite band. The music motivated her while she dusted, vacuumed, and wiped down every surface. Before Emma knew it, it was quarter past noon and she needed to be getting ready to meet with Regina. So she turned off the music and made her way to the bedroom to dress and do her hair and makeup.

—

Regina Mills was never late. No, quite the contrary. She was always early. So she sat in the agreed upon diner with 15 minutes to spare waiting for the blonde to show. She sipped daintily at a cup of coffee as she waited. Ten minutes later she spotted Emma walking in and making her way over to the booth that Regina was sitting in.

"Sorry, I had trouble finding parking. I had to park four blocks down!" Emma said, removing her jacket and tossing it into the booth before sliding in next to it.

"That's quite alright, Miss Swan. However, make note that I do value punctuality." Regina responded, handing her a menu to look over.

"Do you know what you want already?" Emma asked, taking the menu and looking it over.

"Oh, yes. There are only two things I ever order from here." Regina said, sipping her coffee again. She watched as Emma's eyes flickered over the paper encased in cheap plastic. A moment later a waitress came to take their order. "A chicken caesar salad please, dear." Regina ordered.

"And I'll take a grilled cheese salad please. And an iced tea." Emma ordered next.

"Sweetened or unsweetened?" The waitress asked Emma.

"Oh, sweetened please." Emma responded. The waitress nodded and hurried away to put in their order.

"A grilled cheese, Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a smirk.

"What can I say? I'm a simple gal." Emma responded with a smile. Regina chuckled before clearing her throat. _Keep it professional, dear._ She reminded herself.

"So lets get down to it, shall we? I'm sorry that this all slipped my mind yesterday, resulting in this meeting."

"Oh, that's ok, really." Emma said as the waitress brought her the tea. The younger woman intrigued her. She sat with her back pin straight and her hands folded in front of her, much like she had the day prior. It clearly wasn't a position that she sat in often, as she looked oddly uncomfortable.

"You can relax, dear. This isn't another interview." Regina quipped with a smirk.

"Huh? Oh." The blonde said, relaxing her posture slightly. A light blush crept up her pale face. Something inside Regina stirred at the sight. She cleared her throat and continued.

"You'll be working 8 am until 5 pm. Will that be a problem?" She looked into a sea of green.

—

Regina stared into Emma's eyes. It wasn't an uncomfortable stare, but it was heavy. Like there was more there, but Emma couldn't place her finger on it. It was then that the waitress had returned with their food. _Thank god._ Emma thought, grateful for the interruption. She took a bite of her sandwich and washed it down with a gulp of tea.

"Miss Swan?" Regina asked, looking at the blonde again.

"Huh? Oh, no. No problem." Emma answered, watching as Regina speared some lettuce onto her fork and brought it to her lips, her plump, crimson painted lips. Emma licked her lips before shaking her head. "Um, please excuse me. I need to use the restroom." She said before standing quickly and making her way to the washroom.

She closed the door behind her, grateful that it was one of the single bathrooms, not the ones with the stalls and all that. She ran her hands under cold water and placed them on her neck and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Swan. Get your shit together! She is your boss, woman! You can not ruin this! You need this job more than anything. Do not fuck it up!" Finished with her little pep talk, she sighed loudly and walked out.

"Everything ok, Miss Swan?" Regina asked when she returned to the table, eyeing her carefully.

"Yeah, sorry. Everything's fine." She smiled at the brunette. "Where were we?" She asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Well I was going to explain some of your duties." She responded and when the blonde nodded, not wanting to talk with her mouth full, she continued. "You take magnificent photos, Emma. You truly do. And I understand that you want to use your skill. And you will for this job. But I fear it won't be as often as you hope." She finished.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Well there will be times that I will ask you to go out into the field and shoot something for me. But often, you will be doing mostly office work. You'll be taking my lunch orders, taking my phone calls, scheduling meetings and maintaining my calendar, and there will be times I ask you to help me with a layout or to proofread something for me. I know it's not always fun stuff, Miss Swan. But that is the job." She finished and watched for Emma's reaction.

"That's fine." Emma responded a few seconds later. "I'm just grateful for the opportunity that you are giving me. I'm not going to be picky. I really appreciate you giving me the chance and I know I won't let you down." Emma smiled and she watched as a smile crept up on Regina's lips too.

"I'm sure that is true, Miss Swan."

"You can call me Emma, you know."

"I know that, Miss Swan." She smirked and ate another forkful of her salad. Emma watched her for a moment longer.

"Tell me about yourself." The blonde stated, watching still.

"Excuse me?" Regina said, finishing off her coffee.

"You asked me to tell you about myself yesterday. I'd like to learn about you." Emma shrugged.

"I hardly think that is appropriate." Regina sniffed.

"Appropriate? Why not? It's a simple question. If I am to work for you then shouldn't I learn what I can about my employer?" Regina's eyes narrowed at the blonde's reasoning and she signaled for the check to be brought over, never breaking eye contact with the other woman. Emma gulped hard.

"You have to work your way up to that, Miss Swan." She smirked and sent the waitress off with her bank card. Emma began to pull out her wallet to hand the brunette some cash. "Put your wallet away, dear. I will be footing the bill for our lunches."

" _Our_ lunches?" Emma asked, confused.

"Well did you think I would be having you fetch me lunch daily without feeding you too?" Regina asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I see." Emma said as both women stood. "So when do I start then?" She asked.

"Monday, dear. I will be seeing you Monday."


End file.
